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5 Feb 2010 : Column 616W—continued
Government do not have a recent cost estimate for the price per megawatt hour of electricity generated from oil-fired plant.
It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers. In reality, there are large uncertainties and ranges around these figures.
Energy: Conservation
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) England and (b) Leeds, North-West constituency have received assistance from the Community Energy Saving Programme in the latest period for which figures are available. [315577]
Joan Ruddock: The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) went live on 1 September 2009. There is currently one CESP scheme that has commenced which is in Walsall where work began in January. This scheme will deliver energy efficiency benefits to up to 136 households; work has been completed in a few of these households to date.
Figures will be available from 1 May 2010 when Ofgem is required to provide its first report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Heating
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made in taking forward the connection of the Pimlico and Whitehall district heating schemes as announced in the Budget 2009; and how much his Department is planning to spend on this project. [315187]
Joan Ruddock: Working closely with the London Development Agency we have made good progress identifying the route for the pipe work, and the location of the interconnector and with resolving certain technical issues involved with this complicated project. DECC has earmarked £1.75 million for the project, subject to match funding by the London Development Agency.
Nuclear Power
Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010, Official Report, column 187W, on nuclear power: regulation, what cost recovery has been applied to the Nuclear Industry Association, as originator of the nuclear justification document which was the subject of discussion at the public consultation
meeting; and whether he plans to apply cost recovery to applicants for any future meetings held on nuclear justification. [316515]
Mr. Kidney: The Nuclear Industry Association met the cost of making its application for a Regulatory Justification decision. The public engagement event on 19 January was part of the Government's public consultation on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's proposed decisions. It is therefore proper that the Government meet the cost of the event.
Nuclear Power Stations: Leukaemia
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the incidence of leukaemia in children aged under five years living within a five kilometre radius of a nuclear site. [314904]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 2 February 2010]: We are currently consulting on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's proposed decisions that two new nuclear power station designs, the AP1000 and the European pressurised reactor, are justified under the terms of the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004.
Chapter 3 of the proposed decision documents sets out what account my right hon. Friend has taken of recent studies on the impact of radiation on human health in coming to his proposed decisions.
Copies of the consultation documents have been placed in the Library of the House and are available at:
Oil: Overseas Trade
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) volume and (b) monetary value of refined oil and petroleum products (i) exported and (ii) imported in each of the last five years. [315578]
Mr. Kidney: The information requested is in the following tables.
| Crude oil and petroleum products | ||
| Value (£ million) | ||
| Exported | Imported | |
| Crude oil and petroleum products | ||
| Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent | ||
| Exported | Imported | |
These data are published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (Tables 1.1 to 1.6).
Power Stations: EU Law
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the effect on (a) the size of energy bills and (b) the number of jobs in the energy sector of implementation of the provisions of the EU Large Combustion Plant Directive. [313756]
Mr. Kidney: The impact of the implementation of the large combustion plants directive is taken into account within all projections of future energy prices published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
The impact of the large combustion plants directive specifically on energy bills and jobs in isolation from other policies has not been assessed.
Radioactive Materials: Waste Management
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evidence his Department is using to decide on the minimum burial depth for each grade of nuclear waste. [314721]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 1 February 2010]: The depth of the facilities for the disposal of radioactive waste are considered on a facility by facility basis by the operator, who will need to satisfy the independent safety and environmental regulators that people and the environment will be protected.
The White Paper 'Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal' states that the
"depth at which the underground vaults and disposal tunnels will be located is likely to be somewhere between 200 and 1000 metres, but this will depend on the geology at the site in question".
This statement is drawn directly from recommendations of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management released in 2006
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account was taken of scientific predictions of future rising sea levels in the process of deciding upon nuclear waste storage sites; and if he will make a statement. [314723]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 1 February 2010]: The bulk storage of nuclear fuel or nuclear matter (including waste) is a licensable activity under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. The holder of a nuclear site licence to undertake such activities is required to make and implement adequate arrangements for the production and assessment of safety cases consisting of documentation to justify safety of the installation throughout its life.
This requirement includes demonstrating the safety of any storage facilities from a range of external hazards including sea flooding whatever the cause. These assessments take account of anticipated changes in the nature of external hazards including those as a result of climate change. These assessments are maintained under periodic review to demonstrate the continuing safety of the site.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps have been taken to ensure that geological disposal of nuclear waste is safe in relation to the possibility of a seismic event in the future. [314724]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 1 February 2010]: The White Paper 'Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal' (Cmd. 7386) sets out the process to select a site for geological disposal. As part of that process geological stability will be considered in the site specific assessments to be undertaken during desk based studies and site investigations before a site is finally selected.
Before a disposal facility can begin to operate, the developer will have to demonstrate to the independent safety and environment regulators that it will be safe during operation and following closure, including considerations of geological stability. No facility will be built unless it can meet the demanding safety case requirements of the independent statutory regulators.
Renewable Energy
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to increase the diversity of energy sources in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [314481]
Mr. Kidney: Diversity of energy sources is very important for our energy security of supply objectives as it means that we are not overly reliant on any one technology, fuel or supplier.
On electricity for example, the Government are taking steps to increase the diversity of energy sources in the UK by creating a supportive policy framework for investments in new energy infrastructure. This mix comprises low carbon technologies such as renewables, nuclear, coal carbon capture and storage and gas.
Uranium: Mining
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what submissions were received on uranium mining, milling and processing in the consultation his Department held on nuclear justification in 2009; what account was taken of those submissions in preparation of the current nuclear justification consultation; what technical advice his Department has obtained on the radiological impact of uranium mining in the nuclear fuel production and use cycle compared to other stages; and what his latest information is on the radiological detriment contributed by uranium mining in his Department's comparative sustainability analysis of nuclear new build. [315993]
Mr. Kidney:
The consultation on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's proposed decisions that the AP1000 and European pressurised reactor nuclear power station designs are justified under the terms of the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 states that several of those who responded to the previous consultation on the Nuclear Industry Association's application for Regulatory Justification of new nuclear power station designs raised the impact of uranium mining. My right hon. Friend took account of all responses received in coming to the proposed decisions on which we are consulting. The decision documents set out my right hon. Friend's view that he is not bound to take practices outside the UK into account in making his proposed decisions, but that in view of
respondents' concerns he has sought further information on the safety regime for uranium mining, and set out the information he has taken into account, including technical advice from Integrated Decision Management.
The Appraisal of Sustainability published as part of the consultation on the draft Nuclear National Policy Statement is intended to assess the environmental and sustainability impacts of the draft Nuclear National Policy Statement and therefore focuses on those impacts which arise from the draft Nuclear National Policy Statement itself. The draft Nuclear National Policy Statement provides guidance to the Infrastructure Planning Commission on the construction and operation of new nuclear power stations. It does not cover mining or milling of uranium. Copies of the Regulatory Justification consultation documents have been placed in the Library of the House and are available at:
Copies of the consultation documents on a draft Nuclear National Policy Statement, have been placed in the Library of the House and are available at:
We will consider any new and relevant information that is submitted as part of these current consultations.
Warm Front Scheme
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department paid to eaga plc for their administration of the Warm Front scheme in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; and how much it is estimated will be paid for 2009-10. [313742]
Mr. Kidney: The following table shows the administration fee paid to eaga plc for their administration of the Warm Front scheme in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; and how much it is estimated will be paid for 2009-10.
| Fee (£) | |
| Note: The administration fee given for the 2006-07 scheme year differs from that previously released on 27 Feb 2009, Official Report, column 1139W, following the identification of a data entry error in that response. | |
Wind Power: Noise
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on limits on noise from onshore wind farms. [314414]
Mr. Kidney: Our records show that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a small number of representations on noise limits from onshore wind farms in the last six months. This includes correspondence and meetings with interested parties.
Treasury
Civil Servants: Location
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) executive agencies, (b) ministerial Departments, (c) non-ministerial departments and (d) non-departmental public bodies have been relocated out of London since the Gershon review reported. [312280]
Mr. Byrne: The 2009 pre-Budget report announced that by June 2009 nearly 21,000 civil service posts had been relocated out of London and the South East.
The Office of Government Commerce website provides information on departmental contributions towards this total at the address below:
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